Stephen Hendry, a dominant force in snooker for nigh on two decades, announced his retirement last night after losing in the quarter-finals of the Betfred.com World Championship.
The 43-year-old won seven world titles at the Crucible and bowed out of the sport after a 13-2 defeat to fellow Scot Stephen Maguire.
"I am officially retired now from tournament snooker," said Hendry. "I made the decision about three months ago. I didn't tell many people. I only told two or three people, but this is me finished from tournament snooker.
"It was quite an easy decision. There's a few reasons. The schedule didn't help. The fact that I'm not playing the snooker I want to play didn't help. The fact I'm not enjoying practice doesn't help.
"I want to do other things. I've got a lot of commitments now in China, which I've signed up for and I can't do that and play snooker because I would never be at home.
"The time is right for me. If I'd have won the title it would have been an even better way to go out. I'm delighted I made a maximum here, that's why I was more animated than normal when making it. I was delighted to do it on my last appearance here."
Hendry beat Stuart Bingham in the first round at the World Championship this year, firing a maximum break in the process, and then knocked out the reigning champion John Higgins in round two.
Retirement though was always at the back of his mind, with Hendry knowing whoever beat him would be the last man to do so. He added: "I haven't got a lot of things to regret in my career. Obviously it's sad that your last match is a 13-2 drubbing but that was just the way it went. At least it wasn't 13-0.
"I haven't been able to play the way I've wanted to play for the last 10 years, and it's just ground me down and down and down.
"I keep getting beaten in first rounds and second rounds by people I still know are not as good as me. After a while it becomes too much.
"I think I've had a decent career."
Hendry added: "It was not a spur-of-the-moment thing. I thought about it last year but two or three months ago I just decided enough was enough."
Maguire finished off Hendry with a session to spare, and was not among the few people who knew his opponent's retirement was imminent.
"I'm shocked. I totally wasn't expecting that there," Maguire said. "I don't know why [he is retiring]. I'm speechless. He's left a great legacy. He's the best player to ever pick up a cue in my eyes. It's going to take someone to win a lot of tournaments to equal him."
Elsewhere on day one of the quarter-finals at the Crucible, Ronnie O'Sullivan trailed Neil Robertson 5-3 after their opening session, while Ali Carter was ahead by the same mark against Welsh qualifier Jamie Jones.
O'Sullivan pocketed breaks of 100, 45, 93 and 58, but Robertson had runs of 59, 58 and 100 to lead before the penultimate session of the pair's best-of-25 frame. Englishman Ali Carter established a 5-3 lead over Welshman Jamie Jones after the first session of their quarter-final duel thanks to breaks of 47, 58, 77, 59 and 67.
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